TAYLA Harris will be available for selection ahead of Melbourne’s Round 1 clash against Geelong.
Harris missed the club’s final practice match due to a quad strain but has since successfully completed training to be in contention for selection.
“Tayla’s done really well and has ticked off all her markers in her return to play,” Sam Batterton, AFLW High Performance Manager, said.
“She completed match-play on the weekend, will train with the main group for the rest of the week and will be available to play this weekend.”
Liv Purcell is recovering well from surgery after suffering facial fractures during the club’s last hit-out against the Power.
“Liv had surgery late last week and it went well, we’re really happy with the progress she’s made,” Batterton said.
“She’s recovering from that surgery now, so will spend a bit of time away from the club and then once she makes a return to the club, we’ll look at a timeline for her return to play.
“Liv’s in good spirits and is keen to support the team while on the sidelines.”
Grace Beasley will need to successfully complete training on Thursday to be available for the team’s season-opener after a minor shoulder injury.
“She had a low-grade shoulder injury [during the Power game], it wasn’t a major concern but with it being a practice match, we took a conservative approach and took her out of the game,” Batterton said.
“She completed rehab last week and is back into main training this week, so provided that she gets through the rest of the week, she should be available for selection.”
After spending time on the sidelines with an Achilles injury, Lily Johnson has made a return to training with the main group.
“She’s ticked off all the boxes for her return,” Batterton said.
“She completed match-play on the weekend so will be a test to be available for selection.”
Saraid Taylor, who missed the practice match against Port Adelaide with a calf strain, will spend the next fortnight completing her rehab schedule.
“Saraid has made some progress, albeit slowly,” Batterton said.
“She’ll return to running at the backend of this week and then from there we’ll look to build her training loads.”
Young Demon Jemma Rigoni is continuing to work through her groin injury.
“Jemma’s made some progress but has had some small setbacks along the way,” Batterton said.
“She has been ticking off some milestones and working with specialists to get that groin injury under control.”